brock
All-American
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We definitely should have kept recruiting him
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Keontra Smith Junior Day tidbit
- Thread starter Stefan Adams
- Start date
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gogeta4
All-ACC
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- Nov 8, 2011
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Jamal finished his career really well her...and it carried over to the Broncos where apparently he was setting the tone from early on in their camp as a headbussa. Thats pretty good because alot of people had him for dead midway through his cane career
Derrick Smith may be better. I loved him as a recruit. (i liked his uncle as a player). Derrick Smith can actually cover real good at plus size 210+. Kid was matched up in the slot a good amount this year and didnt get exposed. Then he can drop that hat.....I think Smith is that guy as a SS/Hybrid player. If they can grab that type every two years we on to something.
Captain Uberpants
Freshman
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This talk of Knowles getting PT like last year is making me want to vomit. Not a miami caliber safety by any means.
We needed to tell him he would play SS here, but we started bringing up the Striker position and he wasn't having it.
This is why we need to stop messing around with telling Richards we want him at FS, kid wants to play RB.
Watch, Sherwood will eventually outgrow Safety and be a badass OLB for Auburn like Diaz was telling him.
****, he may be a great SS for them for a year or two before outgrowing the position though.
Kid is a baller, and I wish he was in Storm18 with Gurvan as our 2 Safeties (Frierson may end up at FS in a year or two), especially with only taking 1 LB and I true Safety (Hall).
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I'm pretty sure we're telling Richards he can play wherever he wants
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Exactly!
We didn't get that player last cycle in Jamien Sherwood or Randy Russell (missed out on Sherwood, but dropped Russell), so we should definitely pick Keontra Smith up this cycle, especially when he has heavy interest, is local and has offers from top teams like Baga who would definitely use him at SS and not OLB in their scheme.
IMO you try to get a SS/OLB hybrid like that every cycle if possible, especially if this is the direction Diaz is going with the defense.
We still want to have a base 4-3, but want a large 4-2-5 package that has a Striker/Rover SS instead of a traditional OLB (in a 4-3) to go along with a Nickle package that has an extra CB instead of the OLB (in a 4-3).
The team has been running this 4-2-5 package as the base D this spring for two reasons, #1 our quality depth at CB, and #2 SLBs McCloud and Perry are injured.
I would always rather take an extra SS that could grow into a OLB, it is a much easier transition than all these guys who just rush the passer from the line of scrimmage that are too small to play DE so everyone projects them to LB (huge bust rate there).
Safeties have to actually think back there, and make similar reads and cover like LBs, just have to learn to make those reads quicker when they move to LB.
I also feel that Anthony Solomon could play the Striker position well and I'm sure that is what Diaz used to combat Michigan selling him on the Peppers role in their defense.
He may not have a great 40, but he is great in coverage, has great instincts, has good game speed/quickness and seems to not have much wasted motion when the ball is snapped, the size will come.
And us landing SS/Striker Keontra Smith has nothing to do with us taking FS Battle, CB/FS Stevenson or FS Gant, who would all have an offer if they wanted in, which is doubtful but possible.
Richards is making it clear he doesn't want to play FS here, so we need to stop with all that.
You obviously take Trey Sanders if he wants in, but you lock in Richards as a whatever the **** he wants now, same with McIntosh.
Two top level RBs (one super elite ATH in Richards and elite ATH in McIntosh) to go along with Crowley in the hand, are better than one super elite RB (Trey Sanders) in the bush.
And you know Sanders' recruitment will be a crazy battle till the end with teams offering his scrub brother and money flying around.
And if Trey does want in, are we really taking 4 RBs?
We are, but the offensive coaches really need to turn it up on him and make him feel like we really want him there just as much, and not let him feel like we are just telling him what he wants to hear.
I'm not freaking out about it, and think we still lead his recruitment.
Just have seen us mess this stuff up in the past with Sherwood last cycle (should have sold him on SS and giving him a real shot there) and Rudolph years ago under Golden (obviously different staff and situation with brother on the team and The U on the rise past probation).
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